I bent my barbell doing deadlifts because I dropped it. It’s not a horrible bend, but there is a slight curve between the end of the bar and the center. Will this affect my lifting at all? Does it make the weight on the bent side disproportionate to the other side?
The bent bar factor: Normally, using a bent bar wouldn’t make much difference. But once you go anywhere above 70% of your 1RM, you’ll really notice the impact of a bent bar. Not only will it reduce the load lifted, it may also cause you to strain or tear soft tissue. Avoid it like the plague!
Quote from criticalbench.com
If the bar bent while dropping it on deadlifts it was probably a really cheap bar. You can get a very good bar for about $200 that could easily last a lifetime. A Texas powerbar is a good option.
As for your bent bar you could still get use out of it doing movements where one end is on the ground and you move the other end like tbar rows, trunk rotation etc. You could also use it for similar things Dan John does outside like cleans plus sprints.
I’m onboard with replacing it, especially if it’s not bent in the middle.